EagleBank Bowl Hosts NCAA Football Fundamentals Clinic for Area Youth

 

 EAGLEBANK BOWL HOSTS NCAA FOOTBALL

 FUNDAMENTALS CLINIC FOR AREA YOUTH SATURDAY

Free youth clinic to be held at Ridge Road Recreation Center in Southeast D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The EagleBank Bowl and the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (WCSA), in partnership with the NCAA Football Youth Initiative, will host a free football fundamentals clinic for area youth ages 7-13 at the Ridge Road Recreation Center in Southeast D.C. on Saturday, July 31 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration for this clinic is closed.

            Working in collaboration with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, youth football players from the D.C. Pop Warner Football League will participate in the half-day clinic where they will compete in on-field agility drills and receive offensive and defensive training from local coaches. In addition, the youth will be instructed on the benefits of sportsmanship, teamwork and positive character development by local sports personality Glenn Harris. Participating coaches include representatives from Georgetown, Morgan State and Howard University.

            “This is a great opportunity for area youth to take part in an impactful athletic event,” said Marie Rudolph, director of teams and events for the EagleBank Bowl. “We’re thrilled to join these organizations in providing young players the unique opportunity to learn from local collegiate coaches.”

            “We feel it’s important to not only expose our youth to quality football skills training but also the responsibility that comes along with playing the game,” added Erik A. Moses, managing director for the WCSA’s Sports, Entertainment and Special Events Division. “We are thankful for the local college coaches who are taking the time to make this a great experience for the kids.”

             Former baseball champ and Howard University Hall of Famer Glenn Harris will speak to the participants about character development and good sportsmanship, and how these skills can be used to succeed on and off the field. Harris, a native of Washington, D.C. and a prominent authority on local and national sports, lead Howard to the MEAC Championship twice in the 1970s and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1995. Harris currently hosts NewsChannel 8’s Sports Talk, the only nightly sports call-in show in the District.

“This Youth Fundamentals Clinic is an opportunity for youth football players to learn not only valuable athletic skills, but also invaluable character-building and sportsmanship lessons,” said Bob Vecchione – chair, NCAA Football Youth Initiatives Committee. “We are proud to be bringing this event to the EagleBank Bowl, and hope the young men and women who participate in the clinic incorporate the lessons into their daily lives.”

            The D.C. clinic is one of 22 being conducted this summer in conjunction with various bowls around the country. NCAA Football’s Youth Initiative is a $1.5 million, three-year investment that began in New Orleans in 2007. Through this program, NCAA Football strives to attract more youth participants to the game, provide them with additional motivation to pursue higher education opportunities, help them develop the necessary skills to be successful on and off the field, and help to establish a new base of lifelong NCAA Football fans.